Rebecca Merlyn

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Status

Family

Actor

Rebecca Merlyn (died 1993) was a wealthy philanthropist whose main goal in life was to help the less fortunate residing in The Glades. She was also the wife of Malcolm Merlyn and the mother of the late Tommy Merlyn. Rebecca's death served as the catalyst for the Undertaking.

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Biography

At some point in her life she met and fell in love with Malcolm Merlyn who she eventually married and had a son Tommy.

Rebecca Merlyn being killed

A compassionate woman, Rebecca started up a free clinic for the low-income denizens of the Glades. It was there in 1993 that she was murdered in a mugging, when Danny Brickwell shot her and stole her purse. As she laid dying in plain view, Rebecca implored the aid of people passing by, who ignored her pleas. Using the mobile telephone she had on her, Rebecca dialed her husband’s phone number, leaving him messages in which she begged for his help; a preoccupied Malcolm refused to respond to his telephone’s ringing, something he would later deeply regret. Following Rebecca’s passing, Malcolm withdrew from his life at home and grew distant from his young boy, an action that strained their father-son relationship as Tommy developed into manhood. Malcolm was given a photo of the man that was a suspect in her murder and set out to find him and kill him. However, killing him didn't ease Malcolm's mind. Rebecca's clinic was eventually closed by Malcolm as he stated he could not bear to see it leveled with the rest of the Glades.

Her murder currently remains unsolved officially. However, it was revealed that it was Daniel Brickwell who had killed Rebecca Merlyn and that Malcolm had killed the wrong man. Malcolm went after Brick and confronted him with the murder and he admitted to killing Rebecca as an initiation to join his first street gang. Merlyn wanted to use the gun that Brick used to kill Rebecca on him but Oliver Queen managed to talk him down from it.

Rewritten reality

In an alternate reality created by the Legion of Doom, Rebecca along with her son Tommy, is still alive. It was implied she was also Thea's mother in this reality as well.

Legacy

Rebecca's death is what caused her husband Malcolm Merlyn, to become the ruthless, cold-hearted psychopath he is today, as well as the fact that her murder served as the catalyst for the Undertaking. Rebecca's death is also one of the main reasons why her son Tommy, had an extremely strained relationship with Malcolm and did not get along with his father at all.

Rebecca's clinic was eventually closed by Malcolm as he stated he could not bear to see it leveled with the rest of the Glades; it is unknown if the clinic was destroyed in the Undertaking, as it is unknown if it was located in the east or the west sector of the Glades. It is currently unknown if the clinic was reopened.